It didn’t take THQ long to capitalize on the good press and success of its latest handheld Worms title.
Only days after the critically acclaimed Worms: Open Warfare 2 released to market on DS/PSP and reinvigorated the long-running strategy franchise, THQ and Team17 Software announced an exclusive and surprisingly ambitious Worms title would be coming to Wii in early 2008.
In a Sept. 6 interview with IGN, Team17’s Karl Gilbert lifted the curtain on Worms: A Space Oddity. Particularly noteworthy in his glowing preview was his description of the game’s elaborate online component. Gilbert promised customizable four-player online matches, editors-a-plenty and even downloadable content via WiiConnect24, something even Nintendo has yet to deliver.
It sounded too good to be true. Which is probably because it was.
This comes from the bearded one himself:
“In our initial interviews with Team17, the developer promised that the Wii exclusive Worms: A Space Oddity would feature a fully hashed-out online component and future downloadable content through WiiConnect24. Well, we’ve just finished our first hands-on demo with the title and we can state that none of these promised features made it into the end product — a truth that is beyond disappointing, especially since the Worms franchise is ideally suited for both.”
Casamassina said no reason had been given by either THQ or Team17 for the online omissions. Interestingly, he also lauded the game’s slick visuals, fun gameplay and well-implemented controls.
So how much is online content worth to you? Does Team17’s decision to remove the online component deflate your anticipation for A Space Oddity, an otherwise promising third-party Wii project?
Worms: A Space Oddity is due to release on March 10. Ouch.